Typically, power supply applications require the power supply to operate within a well defined operating area bounded by various electrical limits (e.g., voltage, current, power, resistance and conductance). Power supply operation is limited to operate within an operating area either to protect the power supply, protect the load or for some desired control effect. Depending upon the application, the power supply may, for example, be required to provide (i.e., level on) a constant power output that does not exceed a specified current limit.
Further, some power supply applications require the power supply to be capable of effectively switching between operating modes (for example, switching from providing a constant power output with current and voltage limits to providing a constant voltage with power and current limits).
A need therefore exists for controlling the operation of a power supply that allows for switching between operating modes of the power supply.